Topic: PL: Crystal Palace 1 v 2 Liverpool Mateta 57’ Mo 77’ Elliot 90+1’

[Charlie Adams fried egg]

^ I think you made the comment about undeserved. I don’t think we deserved it any less than Palace did. I was about the result, nothing else.
On the same vein, this soft red? He committed 2 yellow card offences - and a fair few more in between, there’s nothing soft about it.

I saw comments after the game about how every time we get a harsh decision, we’re told to suck it up, and how, when there’s even the slightest hint of us getting the rub of the green, there’s a fucking big inquest. We were all told how Konate should have had a red for example.

There’s enough of that kind of shite in the mainstream media without people on here buying into the agendas that the likes of Hodgson are trying to sell. Stopped a free kick being taken and stopped an attack. Both yellows and nothing soft about them, if you don’t believe me, go back over what the pundits say when we are received to have got away with one.

Ps no one would argue that we need to play better, but sometimes you just can’t, and the next best thing is winning anyway.

[thaddeus]

...

Stopped a free kick being taken and stopped an attack. Both yellows and nothing soft about them, if you don’t believe me, go back over what the pundits say when we are received to have got away with one.

Exactly.  Both were yellow card offences that you'll see punished in pretty much every game.  Commentators saying Palace had seven yellow cards as if it's evidence of an injustice are ignoring that they were clearly under instruction to commit tactical fouls rather than let us break on them.

We also had two yellow cards for incidents similar to the two that saw Ayew sent off:
1) Diaz booked for kicking the ball away after he was (harshly, in my opinion) penalised for a foul.  Similar to Ayew's first for deliberately stopping Virgil taking a quick free-kick.
2) Gomez booked for a tactical foul.  Almost no contact but Gomez knew what he was doing just as Ayew knew what he was doing for his second yellow card.

It would have been a beautiful moment to see Hodgson's face if the referee had also sent off Joel Ward for the late tackle in the build up to our equaliser.  Two red cards and a goal conceded in the space of two minutes!  Palace undoubtedly got away with one there.

[LovelyCushionedHeader]

I also don't think our away form has been all that bad.  Some of the performances haven't been great but we've still picked up a lot of good results and points.

Edit: We've the third best away record in the league (https://www.soccerstats.com/homeaway.asp?league=england) - joint top on points but edged out on goal difference.  But for the hopeless officiating at Spurs we'd have the best away record.  Just look at the goal difference for the away league table, nobody is finding it at all easy this season!

A lot has been made this season about how bad the three promoted clubs are, which is very true. However, the rest of the league for me is actually at a really good standard and probably the most competitive it's ever been.

You've got the "big six" plus now Newcastle, Villa and Brighton who are all legitimately in with a shot of finishing in the European places. Then you have the likes of Brentford, West Ham and Fulham who aren't too far from that level either, just with a bit less quality.  Even then you then have clubs like Wolves, Everton and Bournemouth who as we have seen can take points from anyone on their day.

Also tactically you've now got more clubs trying to play a decent standard of football rather bus parking.

[redk84]

^ I think you made the comment about undeserved. I don’t think we deserved it any less than Palace did. I was about the result, nothing else.
On the same vein, this soft red? He committed 2 yellow card offences - and a fair few more in between, there’s nothing soft about it.

I saw comments after the game about how every time we get a harsh decision, we’re told to suck it up, and how, when there’s even the slightest hint of us getting the rub of the green, there’s a fucking big inquest. We were all told how Konate should have had a red for example.

There’s enough of that kind of shite in the mainstream media without people on here buying into the agendas that the likes of Hodgson are trying to sell. Stopped a free kick being taken and stopped an attack. Both yellows and nothing soft about them, if you don’t believe me, go back over what the pundits say when we are received to have got away with one.

Ps no one would argue that we need to play better, but sometimes you just can’t, and the next best thing is winning anyway.

Undeserved because I thought we didn't show the right attitude and definitely not the execution in how we played yesterday.
I am not talking about what the stats showed or whatever you and others have an axe to grind about

The red was soft imo...but we've had that happen to us also so not bothered at that aspect of it or mainstream media's views because we took advantage of the situation, and still found a way to win. They will always find a reason to dislike us but we got the points on the board.

I don't really watch much pre/post game punditry or anything outside of what's mentioned on fan-based media

Hope that helped 

[Barneylfc∗]

Exactly.  Both were yellow card offences that you'll see punished in pretty much every game.  Commentators saying Palace had seven yellow cards as if it's evidence of an injustice are ignoring that they were clearly under instruction to commit tactical fouls rather than let us break on them.

We also had two yellow cards for incidents similar to the two that saw Ayew sent off:
1) Diaz booked for kicking the ball away after he was (harshly, in my opinion) penalised for a foul.  Similar to Ayew's first for deliberately stopping Virgil taking a quick free-kick.
2) Gomez booked for a tactical foul.  Almost no contact but Gomez knew what he was doing just as Ayew knew what he was doing for his second yellow card.

It would have been a beautiful moment to see Hodgson's face if the referee had also sent off Joel Ward for the late tackle in the build up to our equaliser.  Two red cards and a goal conceded in the space of two minutes!  Palace undoubtedly got away with one there.

There was a similar incident in one of the televised games after ours this weekend. Can't remember which one.
Free kick awarded, player didn't get out of the way to allow the free kick to be taken, but no yellow card was given.
Very distinct difference between the 2 was that Ayew deliberately moved in front of Virgil to prevent the free kick being taken, whereas in the other game, the player was already in there but just didn't move.
He can have no complaints about either yellow.

[disgraced cake]

Not sure anyone mentioned it earlier cos I haven't read back but fairly sure Palace made subs in 4 windows excluding the half time one. You can only use 3 windows though. What's up with that?

[Barneylfc∗]

Not sure anyone mentioned it earlier cos I haven't read back but fairly sure Palace made subs in 4 windows excluding the half time one. You can only use 3 windows though. What's up with that?

They made a sub while the keeper was down receiving treatment, then subbed the keeper off after a couple of minutes treatment, so the same window really.

[newterp]

Question about the game was the only joy we got was in the first half when we started getting some width at the end of the first half. Palace had Ward and Clyne at full back and we hardly went at them.

Anfield Wrap had some very good analysis about this.

Specifically Trent's "new" position seems to cause issues with the lack of width and also is hampering Szoboslai as they are often on top of each other.

[disgraced cake]

They made a sub while the keeper was down receiving treatment, then subbed the keeper off after a couple of minutes treatment, so the same window really.

Fair enough. Only noticed it this morning and thought it was strange.

[stockdam]

There was a similar incident in one of the televised games after ours this weekend. Can't remember which one.
Free kick awarded, player didn't get out of the way to allow the free kick to be taken, but no yellow card was given.
Very distinct difference between the 2 was that Ayew deliberately moved in front of Virgil to prevent the free kick being taken, whereas in the other game, the player was already in there but just didn't move.
He can have no complaints about either yellow.

Correct. Ayew was not in front of VVD as he was about to take the kick but then Ayew ran in front of VVD and made no attempt to get out of the way. He may also have been already on a warning for other incidents (was it him that flicked the ball out of VVD's hands when he was about to take a throw). So this nonsense that VVD was somehow to blame is pathetic and Hodgson should apologise. His player deliberately ran in front of VVD and that was "unprofessional".

Palace were constantly fouling us when we were mounting attacks and it became very annoying. Each player was taking it in turns to breakup the play. I was shouting at the TV asking the ref to do something about it and he must have eventually heard me. This sort of deliberate fouling goes on far too often (we do it at times too) but Palace were taking the piss as it seemed to be on every attack.

Palace are a decent club and do not deserve to have a coach/manager that directs the players to be so negative.

[Buck Pete]

Jimenez got sent off for Wolves a few seasons back for 2 similar offenses as Ayew.  They know the risks.  Unlucky Roy.

[jepovic]

Ayew was exhausted and tired players make bad decisions and bad tackles.
It's part of the price they paid for pressing hard and having so little possession.

I actually thought the ref did well. CP were fouling a lot, but they also got plenty of yellow cards.

[marmite]

anyone else notice the almost silents of the media about us being top??

[Red Beret]

Yup. Deathly quiet.

[the_red_pill]

anyone else notice the almost silents of the media about us being top??

Yup. Deathly quiet.

Not a peep. Instead it's Villa all over the news as contenders.

Personally, I prefer it that way.

[thaddeus]

anyone else notice the almost silents of the media about us being top??

The journos will be busily sharpening their mighty swords pens later in the week in the hope that we lose to Man U and extend that soap opera into the new year.

I have to admit we've outperformed my expectations massively so far.  I also think we have it in us to improve in the second half of the season.

[newterp]

anyone else notice the almost silents of the media about us being top??

The journos will be busily sharpening their mighty swords pens later in the week in the hope that we lose to Man U and extend that soap opera into the new year.

I have to admit we've outperformed my expectations massively so far.  I also think we have it in us to improve in the second half of the season.

To some degree it's because 1) we haven't really wowed anyone 2) Villa are shocking people 3) Arsenal are still their hope and dreams (London) and 4) they still want city.

I also think the general media doesn't like Klopp.

[spider-neil]

The TV replies of Ayew focus on a close up of the challenge rather than a wide shot of several our players breaking. And I bought into the narrative thinking the second yellow for the challenge was a farce until I saw a wide shot of the counter attack Ayew stops. BT or TNT or whatever the fuck they are called aren’t objective.

[MonsLibpool]

Our win against them looks even better now. Is this our year lads?

[kop306]

win all of our games over christmas now

[GreatEx]

Finally got around to watching the replay of the period between Quansah's foul on Mateta and the eventual stoppage in play. So bizarre, the game was just going through a sleepy period of Simpsons soccer (LCB passes to RCB, passes it to GK, back to RCB, RCB holds it, holds it, holds it!!!) and then out of the blue it's Max Drama. The whole thing's a farce even if the penalty call was a reasonable one. I guess in future teams will find a way to get a quick stoppage ASAP before the good process boys can happen. Watching the Palace penalty in replay, I couldn't help notice there were opportunities to smack the ball against a Palace player for a quick throw in that presumably would have voided the penalty unless VAR decided to halt proceedings while he good processed it.